Connector for tubular golf club bag separators



CONNECTOR FOR TUBULAR GOLF CLUB BAG SEPABATORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 C. A. WYCKOFF ET AL Dec. 1, 1970 Filed July 5, 1968 INVENTORS 014 945.; Audra 0F: BY o OH/V RAM/04 94 iTTOP/Vi/j Dec. 1, 1970 CONNECTOR FOR TUBULAR GOLF CLUB BAG SEPARATORS Filed July 5, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS (Pm n55 4. W n 0F BY JOHN E Z/A DA/ /L I aw- United States Patent 3,543,355 CONNECTOR FOR TUBULAR GOLF CLUB BAG SEPARATORS Charles A. Wyckoff, 1757 Via Escondido, and John R.

Lindahl, 1783 Via Escondido, both of San Lorenzo,

Calif. 94580 Filed July 5, 1968, Ser. No. 742,851 Int. Cl. A44b 21/00 US. Cl. 2481 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A connector is provided with a plurality of adjacent pairs of cooperating yieldable finger elements, each pair adapted to be snugly positioned around a tubular separator for golf club bags to hold a plurality of such separators in predetermined proximity one to the other and restrain each separator from being inadvertently removed from such bag.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The sport of golf is usually played with a plurality of golf clubs which are used by the player one at a time, and the clubs not being used are usually stored and carried from place to place in a golf club bag.

Golf clubs are normally deposited in the bag handle first usually in a random, and sometimes in a very rash manner. As a result, the shafts and handles or grips of the clubs can be damaged and very often the handles and shafts of the various clubs become intertwined making subsequent removal somewhat diflicult.

To overcome the irritations of random club arrangement in a golf bag and to aid in avoiding unnecessary damage to club shafts and grips, a golfer may insert into his bag a plurality of tubular bag separators which are substantially the same length as a golf bag and each of which defines a receptacle for the grip and shaft of a single golf club. These separators keep the club shafts from becoming intertwined with each other and from damaging each other by direct contact; however, the separators themselves may provide an irritant to the golfer in that they are relatively free to shift about within the golf bag becoming somewhat intertwined themselves unless the bag is fairly fully packed with such separators. An even greater irritant is the fact that unless a club is removed from its respective separator fairly gently, or almost perfectly axially of the separator, self-control traits of which golfers are not always possessed, sufficient friction is created between the grip of the golf club and the inside wall of the separator to draw not only the club but its associated separator out of the golf bag.

It is a main object of the present invention to provide a device for interconnecting a plurality of tubular separators for golf bags in such a manner that they resist being withdrawn from such bag when a golf club is withdrawn therefrom.

It is another main object of the present invention to provide a device for interconnecting a plurality of tubular separators for golf bags whereby such separators are restrained from free movement within such bag.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for interconnecting a plurality of tubular separators for golf bags, which device is constructed to allow adjacent such devices and adjacent separators to nestle closely together within a golf bag.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device for interconnecting a plurality of tubular separators for golf bags, which device is so constructed to allow it to be positioned upon a separator by sliding it thereon from one direction yet which resists being removed therefrom by sliding it in the opposite direction.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the description and from the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the device of the present invention illustrating a tubular separator in place within the grip of one of the pairs of yieldable fingers;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the device of FIG. 1, the lower portion of the tubular separator being broken away and illustrating the positioning of a second connecting device on the same tubular separator;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a device similar to that of FIG. 1 except having three pairs of yieldable finger elements therein and also illustrating the cooperation between a three tubular separator connector and a two tubular separator connector;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a modified form of the invention, a portion thereof being broken away and illustrating friction increasing teeth on the tubular separator engaging surfaces of the yieldable finger elements;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along line 66 of FIG. 5 and,

FIG. 7 is a top plan view representing a configuration of a golf club bag and illustrating the use of the tubular separator connectors of the present invention in such a golf bag.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As seen in FIG. 1, the device of the present invention is generally designated 1 and is formed from at least a pair of golf bag separator grip-ping means 2, which means are secured to each other. Each gripping means 2 is comprised of a pair of arcuate gripping fingers 3, 4, which cooperate to substantially surround a tubular separator 5 which may be placed therebetween.

As seen in FIG. 1, gripping fingers 3 and 4 may be joined together into a generally C-shaped configuration to form a single gripping means 2. Two such gripping means 2 may be formed back-to-back to form a golf bag separator connector capable of interconnecting to adjacent separators 5. Webs 6 may extend between a gripping finger of each pair thereof to lend strength and rigidity to connector 1.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, commercially available golf bag separators are usually of an elongated right cylindrical construction and with minor variations from manufacturer to manufacturer such separators fall within a relatively narrow range of external diameters. The length of such separators corresponds generally to the depth of a gold club bag. ISl-lCh separators 5 are usually provided with one rolled end 9 wherein the material of the separator is turned back upon itself to provide a smoothly rounded end which resists collapse. In the form of separator illustrated a metal ring 10 is provided within roll 9 to further strengthen the separator 5.

The end of separator 5 opposite roll 9 is usually simply cutoff square and is devoid of any reinforcing structure. While separators such as separator 5 are usually formed of yieldable, flexible plastics, they are usually of a constant diameter throughout their length except for the rolled or reinforced ends 9.

When separators are used in a golf bag they are usually inserted with the rolled end 9 uppermost. In using a connector 1 in conjunction with separators 5 and a golf bag 11 as illustrated in FIG. 7, the end of the separator opposite rolled end 9 would be inserted between a pair of gripping fingers 3 and 4 and the connector Will he slid lengthwise of separator 5 to approximately the position illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 adjacent rolled end 9.

As seen at the left-hand end of the connector illustrated in FIG. 1, the dot-dash line position of gripping fingers 3 and 4 correspond to the solid line position of such fingers illustrated at the right-hand end of FIG. 1. In the construction of gripping fingers 3 and 4, they are made to vary inwardly of a line defining a true circle and are preferably made yieldable so that when a separator of ClI cular cross sectional contour is inserted therebetween, the fingers 3 and 4 will yield to assume the circular configuration of the separator yet will grip the sides of the separator with sufficient force to remain in place.

While the connector 1 may be fabricated in several ways from numerous materials, it has been found desirable and economical to fabricate such connector by the process of injection molding from a glass-filled commercially available plastic known as Delrin. As a matter of economy the webs 6 may be formed of a considerably lesser thickness than the remainder of connector 1 but it should be noted that the outer free edges 12 of webs 6 are preferably formed to no greater radius than that of the outer surfaces of gripping fingers 3 and 4. This enables bag separators to be nested together as closely as possible as illustrated in FIG. 7.

A modified form of the connector of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 4 wherein three gripping means 2, each comprising a pair of gripping fingers 3 and 4, are secured together to form a connector 14 which is capable of interconnecting three golf bag separators. The construction of connector 14 is similar to that of connector 1 in that the outer ends of the gripping fingers are formed inwardly of a true circle and are yieldable to conform to the cross sectional contour of a separator placed therebetween. The interconnecting webs 15 may be of a lesser thickness than the gripping fingers and again the outer free edges 16 of webs 15 are preferably formed to a radius no greater than that of the outer arcuate surfaces of the gripping fingers. Edges 16 of webs 15 are preferably formed to an even smaller radius than are edges 12 of webs 6 in order to provide substantially the same degree of flexibility in the gripping fingers of connector 14.

Also illustrated in FIG. 4 with connector 14 is a connector 1, pairs of gripping fingers of each connector being about a single separator substantially as illustrated in FIG. 2 making the combination of a connector 14 and a connector 1 capable of interconnecting four separators 5. It can be seen that a connector can have any desirable number of gripping means formed integrally therein and that connectors can be used cooperatively to interconnect any desirable number of golf bag separators 5. In FIG. 7 the upper and central compartments of golf bag 11 illustrate the use and nestling ability of triple connectors 14. The

lower compartment illustrates the cooperative use of a pair of connectors 1 to interconnect three separators 5 and also the independent use of a double connector 1.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate yet another modification of the device of the present invention. While the connector 19, illustrated in FIG. 5, may be the same in all other respects to connector 1 illustrated in FIG. 1, the inner surfaces of the gripping fingers 20 and 31 of connector 19 are provided with inwardly directed teeth 22 and 23. Teeth 22 and 23 are of the same construction and as seen in FIG. 6, are provided with one side 24 which is rounded or slanted with respect to the inside surface 25 of fingers 20, 21 and a second side 26 which is flat and preferably normal to the inside surface 25. Their construction makes teeth 22 and 23 directional in operation in that they can be relatively easily slid along a separator 5 in the direction of surface 24 of teeth 22, 23 but dig in and strongly resist being slid along a separator in the opposite direction of surface 26 of said teeth. In use this assures that a connector has a very strong tendency to stay in place once it is properly positioned on a separator 5.

In FIG. 5, teeth 22 are illustrated somewhat smaller than teeth 23. It has been found desirable with some materials to make the teeth closer to the outer, more flexible ends of the gripping fingers somewhat smaller because of the differences in pressures which are applied to the sides of a separator at different points along the gripping fingers. The teeth may, however be of the same size.

Ribs 27 (FIG. 5 extending between the gripping means to thicken the web may be desirable depending upon the material used in fabricating the persent device.

When the connector of the persent invention is in use, rigidly interconnecting adjacent separators within a golf club bag they prevent extensive movement of said separators within said bag. Further, the fact that at least two separators are interconnected retards the tendency of a separator to be removed from the golf bag when the club contained therein is being withdrawn.

Use of the connectors disclosed takes up very little, if any, additional room in a golf bag beyond that taken up by the separators themselves inasmuch as the gripping means 2 are tangentially secured to each other, the fingers such as 3 and t are of substantially the same outside diameter as the rolled end or radially outward projecting head 9 of a separator 5 (FIGS. l3), and the radii to which the edges of the interconnecting webs are formed allows adjacent separators to be nestled substantially as closely together as they would be in the absence of the subject connectors. Teeth 22, 23, or any other friction increasing means on the inside surfaces of the gripping fingers such as texturing, assure that the connectors will stay in place when in use.

It can also be seen that use of the present device aids the rolled end 9 of a separator in preventing collapse of a separator and even reshapes separators which may have partially collapsed.

It should be understood that the above detailed description discloses the preferred forms of the present invention and that it is not intended to be limiting as other forms and modifications may occur to those skilled in the art which do not depart from the spirit of this invention.

We claim:

1. A connector for interconnecting a plurality of tubular separators which are adapted to be received within a golf club bag to in turn receive the shafts of golf clubs and the like, comprising:

(a) at least a pair of integrally formed separator gripping means which are secured together,

(b) each said gripping means being adapted to be received around a golf bag separator interconnecting adjacent pairs thereof,

(c) each said gripping means includes a pair of opposedly arcuately formed gripping fingers which are adapted to be cooperatively received around a golf bag separator applying sufficient pressure to resist free movement thereon,

(d) said gripping fingers are yieldable and each of said gripping fingers of said pair thereof has an outer end formed to a smaller radius than the remainder thereof to apply greater pressure to a separator upon being positioned thereon.

2, A connector for interconnecting a plurality of tubular separators which are adapted to be received within a golf club bag to in turn received the shafts of golf clubs and the like, comprising:

(a) at least a pair of integrally formed separator gripping means which are secured together,

(b) each said gripping means being adapted to be received around a golf bag separator interconnecting adjacent pairs thereof,

(c) each said gripping means includes a pair of opposedly arcuately formed gripping fingers which are adapted to be cooperatively received around a golf bag separator applying sufficient pressure to resist free movement thereon,

(d) said gripping fingers are sufiiciently flexible to be spread to be received on a separator; and,

(e) the outer free end of each of said fingers is formed inwardly of a circle.

3. A connector for interconnecting a plurality of tubular separators which are adapted to be received within a golf club bag to in turn receive the shafts of golf clubs and the like, comprising:

(a) at least a pair of integrally formed separator gripping means which are secured together,

(b) each said gripping means being adapted to be received around a golf bag separator interconnecting adjacent pairs thereof,

(c) each said gripping means includes a pair of opposedly arcuately formed gripping fingers which are adapted to be cooperatively received around a golf bag separator applying sufficient pressure to resist free movement thereon,

(d) the inner separator engaging surfaces of said gripping fingers are provided with inwardly projecting teeth which are adapted to bite into the surface of a separator to resistor movement of a connector positioned thereon,

(e) said teeth include a pair of sides, one of which is at an angle to the inner surface of the finger from which it projects and the other of which is normal to said surface allowing sliding movement of a connector on a separator in the direction of the angled side and resisting movement in the opposite direction.

4. A connector for interconnecting a plurality of tubular cylindrical club separators of the same diameters from one terminal end of each to the opposite end with said opposite end being open and formed therearound with a radially outwardly projecting circular bead of uniform thickness, said connector being for supporting said separators vertically within a golf club bag with said connector adjacent to said bead, comprising:

(a) a pair of closely adjacent, integrally united, separator-gripping means formed in one piece, each including resilient annularly extending separator-gripping portions having radially inwardly facing surfaces spaced apart a distance for yieldable gripping engagement with the outer cylindrical surfaces of one of said tubular separators upon thrusting one of said tubes axially thereof between the said portions of each of said separator-gripping means,

(b) the thickness of said annularly extending portions being approximately the same as the thickness of the radially outwardly projecting bead on the separator to be gripped by said separator engaging surfaces whereby said annularly extending portions will be within the axially projected confines of said bead,

(c) a web between and integral with said pair of separator-gripping lrneans supporting said annularly extending separator-gripping portions coplanar in positions projecting oppositely outwardly from said web for engaging the sides of such cylindrical separators that are spaced from said web when said separators are between the portions of said pair of separator-gripping means,

(d) the maximum thickness of said web in the plane of said annularly-extending portions being approximately the same as twice the thickness of one of said annularly extending portions whereby the beads on a pair of separators, when the latter are gripped by said radially inwardly facing surfaces of said portions, will be approximately in engagement with each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

